You rush through summer and into fall getting kids back into school, and before you know it the holidays are looming over your head. This post is all about How To Make $1000 Before Christmas. Why? Because the holidays can break the bank in no time. Whether you have one child, five children or a dozen family members to exchange gifts with – your budget is going to take a beating as soon as the holidays arrive. This post is all about helping you make that easier to manage. Some easy steps and a few wild ideas are all included.
How To Make $1000 Right Before Christmas
Have a huge yard sale. The fall months are some of the best to have a yard sale. People are always looking for good quality name brand kids clothing for winter, holiday decorations, and even collectibles. Try to do this before the snow hits, but when it is cool enough out that people don’t mind walking around outside to search through your junk for a treasure. The average family yard sale makes $450-$500 in a single day.
Tip: Save time having a yard sale, by selling your items through groups on Facebook, Craigslist, Ebay, or Varagesale.com{new online method of selling your items!}
Sell homemade craft items. This is the perfect time to grab the knitting needles, sewing machine or crochet hooks. People go crazy for homemade items to give as gifts. Hats, scarves, gloves and even shawls are always popular. Hand sewn baby blankets, throws, and quilts are always a hit at craft fairs. Plus you can do things like make wreaths, use your vinyl cutter to create custom mugs, tumblers or signs. If you like arts and crafts of any kind, now is the time to step up your game and make fun items to sell. Make sure you are making at least twice as much as you are putting into the product. So if your supplies cost $5 you would charge at least $10, and you also want to include your time, so figure in the cost at a flat hourly rate of $10-$12 per hour it takes you to make the item. You can also check local sellers to see their prices and try to be somewhere in line with the going rate.
Tip: Try setting up an account on Etsy.com or Facebook Groups.
Babysit neighborhood kids. If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids, now is the best time to offer your babysitting services. After school, date night, or weekends can all be great for you to earn a few bucks while helping out your friends and neighbors. Many people need a quiet night to go shopping for the kids – you can offer that at a convenient location and great rate. $7-$12 per hour is average for babysitting, but you can check out what local area babysitters are charging, or potentially offer a special rate for a week or multiple children.
Don’t like kids, but love Pets? That may be a better trade-off for ya, and a way to earn some extra cash. House-sitting can also rack in some serious coins from the right client.
Donate Plasma. Really in a bind? Check out local centers where you can donate blood and plasma. Blood won’t make you money, but many locations will pay you for plasma. This is something to do as a last resort, but can easily make you $45-$60 per donation. Most places limit once every two weeks. Here in Lansing, they will pay $50 for the first four times you donate. That’s an easy $200 bucks!
Have hair? Your hair could be worth money! Check out sites like The Hair Trader for more information.
Grab an empty jar and walk around your house. Leave nothing UN-turned, from the window to the wall, flip the cushions and look under the bed. I bet you could easily find about $20 bucks or more.
Sell your jewelry. When is the last time you went through your jewelry box? Many of us have rings, bracelets, chains and more that we’ve had for years but never wear. Unless the items have deep sentimental value, take a moment to check out what the value is at a local jewelry store, pawn shop or if gold a local shop dealing in only gold.
Sell your old electronics. Do you have a laptop, cellphone, tablet or even television laying around that you don’t use or need? If they are still in working order, you may be able to get up to 70% of their original value. If broken, you can easily sell for parts at local repair shops, on eBay or even with online electronic stores.
Thinking about getting a new iPad/tablet? Consider selling your older model to places like Gamestop, Target, Dicker & Deal, or Disc Traders. Personally, I found Disc Traders gives a fair price. I have also sold electronics on eBay and Facebook.
Related: Make Quick Money in a week!
Do you have scrap or metal laying around? That’s cash just begging you to sell it! Google the closest scrap yard and haul that crap in. If you have bigger items, they may be willing to come out and pick them up. We were able to cash in an old trampoline and the scrap laying around our house earlier this year.
Have a degree or at least 75-80 credits? Consider subbing. You could easily make $75- $90 per day (depending on the area).
Be a Guinea Pig! If you live near a big University or Hospital, you may qualify for their different medical testing programs or studies. You can easily rack up $200-$300 bucks from doing this. My youngest son completed a Speech Study a few years ago. He racked up quite a few hundred dollars from participating. Do some google research for programs in your area.
Got extra sperm laying around? If you’re okay with donating it, you could rack in some easy dough!
Join the 52 Weekly Challenge. This is a great way to save money each week, to have close to $1400 by the end of the year!
Sell your books. Do you have a great collection of books? Weed out ones you don’t care about and sell online, in local book shops or even to resale shops who will pay anywhere from $.25 per book to market value for textbooks.
Drive for Uber or another Rideshare Program. With all of the holiday shopping, football games and more, driving for Uber on a good weekend, can easily bring in $500-$1000 bucks.
Take Surveys. Taking Surveys is an easy, legit and even fun way to help make some quick cash. When my twins were little, I spent time doing a lot of surveys earn extra money for our family. Here are some of our favorite places to sign up: Get paid to surf the web with Inbox Dollars. Mindspay is another great one that will pay for taking surveys. Opinion Outpost is another great one! Received up to $50 per survey/offer with Panda Research. Earn money and rewards by taking surveys with Points2Shop.
A few others to check out:
I also talk more in-depth about earning money from surveys here.
And be sure to read other tips on how to save money for Christmas below:
These ways to make $1000 before Christmas can provide you and your family with the funds to have a holiday experience you want. From nicer presents to a great family getaway – these tips can make that happen with ease.
Related: 10 ways to earn CASH today!
What are some things you plan on doing to bring in some extra dough for the Holidays? Leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say!
There are some really creative tips here. I know I could certainly use an extra $1000!
What great tips! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday, hope to see you again next week!
Awesome tips! I’m still hoping I can pull something in from my blog before X-mas! 🙂
Some great tips! Thanks for linking up to Home Matters Party. #HomeMattersParty http://cu-rio.net/home-matters-linky-party-60/